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Wallace was sitting in his chair reading a book while Scott sat on the floor playing a video game. The ambient 'boops' and 'beeps' sounded off in time with the soft clicking of buttons under Scott's thumbs. It was peaceful, like any other night. Like every other night, which is exactly why Wallace was annoyed. It had been years of this. When they first moved in together, it was only supposed to be for a few weeks. Then a few weeks turned into a few months, then an indefinite time until Scott was back on his feet. It's been years of this, and while Wallace doesn't mind that much to have Scott as his sugar baby, it does frustrate him how shameless he is about it.
"When are you going to get a job?" He asks without looking away from his book, breaking the comfortable silence.
"uhh... Soon..." Scott answers, distracted by his game.
"How soon is 'soon', guy?"
"uh... Um... At some point?"
Wallace let slip a sigh, more annoyance in it than he meant. "Even if this apartment is crappy, it's not cheap for me to pay for it plus everything else myself, you know. If you don't get a job, I'm going to kick you out."
"Pssh" the redhead lets out a dismissive noise. "You always say that. You're not going to kick me out."
More video game sounds come from the TV.
Wallace doesn't say anything to retort that, he knows he's not wrong. Why him? Why did he have to care about this moron so much to the point he'd let him ruin his life?
Scott continues "Besides, do I even really need a job? Once my band gets popular, I'll have tons of money and we can move into an even better place than this."
"Your band sucks, Guy." Wallace retorts dryly.
"Hey! Does not, you're just being a hater."
The room falls back into silence again, the only sound to be heard is from the TV and the clicking of Scott's controller.
This is how it always goes. It seems that even the threat of kicking him out has lost its weight with the frequency of Wallace using it yet never backing it up. Should he actually go through with it this time? He wouldn't kick Scott out for real, but maybe he could change the locks while having Stacy get him out of the house? A night outside might get his ass in Gear. But then again, probably not.
Wallace was at a loss. Maybe this was it. Perhaps he'd be resigned to letting Scott Pilgrim mooch off of him for the rest of his days, all because he was cute and stupid.
Wallace looked up from his book finally, resting his head in one hand as he studied the back of his roommate. No shame. Not an ounce to be seen in his body language. One had to wonder how such an unmotivated idiot made it this far. The fact he was even still alive was probably thanks to Wallace and yet he didn't seem to feel like he was doing anything wrong by letting him take care of him. He just sits there, playing his video game without a care in the world.
Wallace shifts his gaze to the screen, it's a sonic game, though he isn't sure which one.
Yep. Not a care in the world. Wallace was almost jealous of that. Oh, how blissful it must be to be so ignorant.
The silence stretched on for a while, until without thinking anything of it, Wallace muttered under his breath "... Sonic would want you to get a job."
Suddenly, a game-over noise sounded off from the TV, Scott was still as a statue.
". . ."
"uh, Scott?" Wallace tried after a beat passed and he still hadn't started playing again.
"yoohoo? Earth to Scottie?" Wallace leaned forward and waved a hand in front of the younger man's face. This managed to get Scott's attention, as he quickly turned his head to look Wallace in the face.
"You really think Sonic would want me to get a job?"
Wallace stared back into his roommate's eyes, his own crinkling with mischief as the idea hit his brain.
A week later, Scott Pilgrim would start going out to apply for jobs.